Stories We Tell

NCAT distinguished professor Jelani Favors emphasizes the significance of HBCUs at Stanford University. Favors’ presentation highlights the contributions of HBCUs to society, and how these institutions compare to others.

By: Jyanne Guide

GREENSBORO, N.C.- N.C. A&T Henry E. Frye Distinguished professor and award-winning author, Jelani M. Favors spoke at Stanford University on February 6, 2024.

Favors’ lecture, titled “The University Must Set the Standard: The Legacy of the HBCU Model and its Role in Democratizing America,” revealed the history and transformation of Historically Black Colleges and Universities.

Favors explored the important role of HBCUs (historically Black colleges and universities) in shaping American society, emphasizing their history of academic excellence, community empowerment, and social justice.

“HBCUs are responsible for crafting many of the great African American minds of our society today,” Favors said.

Favors wants people to understand why the HBCU model has worked since 1837 and consider what we can learn from it. Mentorship at HBCUs is just one component contributing to their success.

“A recent study that uncovers HBCU professors outperform their counterparts at Predominately White Institutions,” Favors said.

Stanford University history professor Robert Crews, who attended the event, highlighted the importance of Favors’ lecture. Crews admired Favors’ scholarship and his commitment to promoting social justice.

“In 20-plus years at Stanford, I would rank it as the most intellectually engaging and analytically insightful of any talk I’ve heard there,” Crews said.

Favors’ lecture reveals how HBCUs go overlooked and underfunded. Favors states that resources are necessary to continue the legacy of the HBCU model, especially in a new era with redefined calls for social justice and educational equity.

“We need an outpour of resources into these under-resourced spaces,” Favors said.

Favors is actively working to continue the legacy of the HBCU model at North Carolina A&T by serving as the director of the Center of Excellence for Social Justice.

Favors states that his role as a professor, author, and social movement historian is essential for future generations.

“We need HBCUs now more than ever… I am willing to do whatever work necessary to uplift these historic institutions,” Favors said.

In addition to his work on A&T’s campus, Favors hints at publishing a new book that exposes the impacts of lynching, as an effort to continue to create awareness of Black struggles in America.